Lifting scoops
Lifting scoops are a type of lifting weapon found in both runs of Robot Wars. They are similar to lifters in that they are designed to lift and tip robots over rather than throw them over or across great distances. The first robots to feature these weapons were House Robot Shunt and Series 1 competitor Barry, while the most notable and successful scoop-wielding robots include long-time UK Series veteran and Series 10 Grand Finalist Behemoth, Series 2 Semi-Finalist G.B.H., Series 8 Grand Finalist Shockwave and US Season 2 champion Panzer Mk 4. Definition *A lifting scoop differs from a static scoop in that it is designed to move through a pneumatic, hydraulic, electric or even a spring-loaded mechanism. Many static scoops existed as auxiliary or even primary weapons (such as the one used by Scutter's Revenge) but did not possess lifting capabilities. Therefore, they are classified as Ramming blades. *They are designed to lift or tip opponents over in the same way as lifters, rather than launching or throwing them over like flippers. However, some scoop-wielding robots are powerful enough to flip opponents completely over, such as Barbaric Response, the Series 5 version of Diotoir and the Series 8-10 version of Behemoth. Advantages and Disadvantages Advantages *Because of their large surface area and usually shovel-like design, scoops are easily able to lift and tip over other robots. Behemoth's performances, especially in Series 3 and 4, are indicative of this. *By being able to lift opponents off the entire floor, they could simultaneously remove the robot's resistance to being pushed by removing one or more of its wheels/tracks off the arena floor, especially through side-on attacks. Shunt was able to demonstrate this capability multiple times, especially in the Sumo Basho side competition held during Series 4, as did Behemoth, Diotoir, Panzer Mk 4 and Shockwave on various occasions. *Scoops can offer an effective weapons synergy in tandem with overhead weapons such as axes and hammers, or even Vertical crushers. Shunt famously used his scoop to free his axe on numerous occasions, while Behemoth once used its axe and scoop to simultaneously catch, lift and carry Stinger around the arena during their Extreme 1 Challenge Belt battle. *Even when they are not used to lift opponents, scoops are ideal pushing weapons due to their shovel-like blades and ability to breach even low ground clearances. Shunt, Behemoth, Panzer Mk 4 and Diotoir all demonstrated this quality on various occasions. *When lowered, lifting scoops offer the robot a great deal of protection against front-on collisions with spike or spinning weapons. Behemoth was especially notable in that it was able to deflect blows from Hypno-Disc and PP3D's flywheels using its bucket and angled scoops respectively, contributing towards its victories against both machines. Disadvantages *Being generally smaller than other lifting or flipping weapons, lifting scoops are not usually effective as self-righting mechanisms compared to other types. Only a handful of scoop-wielding robots have a self-righting capability; either through the weapon itself (Barbaric Response, the Series 8-10 version of Behemoth), or additional mechanisms (e.g. Behemoth's side arms). *They have a very narrow attack range, requiring the scoop to get fully underneath opponents from the front in order for them to work effectively. Behemoth's loss against Crushtacean in Series 5 partially resulted from it being unable to attack the latter from the front without being turned onto its back. *They are vulnerable to being damaged by overhead weapons or sustained attacks from spinning weapons. Behemoth's bucket scoop, for example, was damaged by Razer's crusher, Shunt's axe and the spinning weapons of Disc-O-Inferno and Carbide at various points throughout its appearances. Meanwhile, in Series 8, Shockwave's HDPE scoop was gradually destroyed by Thor's axe after it was used to absorb the latter's axe blows during their Head to Head battle. List of Robots with Lifting Scoops ]] Robots are listed alphabetically. Robots which are not heavyweight competitors are listed with a green background. House Robots are listed with a yellow background. Category:Weapon Types Category:Robots with Lifting Scoops